Things That I Think I Think

Huh, odd place to build a mental institution . . .

Despite what you may think, I don't write just to bore you. Well, not intentionally. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before - I’m old and tend to repeat myself – but I write a lot: letters to the editor, this blog, long tedious emails. There was a time I even fancied myself a poet. But mostly I just write to figure out what I’m really thinking. I will often be curious about something, do some Googling (or an occasional AI search) and begin to write about it. Then as I go along, writing and thinking, thinking and writing, I will often arrive at a completely different place. Thus, you always end up getting my well developed and eloquently expressed thoughts. 

Okay, maybe not always. 

Anyway here’s a special post this month.

The depth of winter tends to send we hearty Minnesotans into a sort of cold-induced meditative torpor (when not interrupted by whistles!) I mean what else do we have to do but hunker down and think great thoughts. Okay, okay there’s skiing, skating, snowmobiling and other dumb stuff but take a moment to thaw out and think great thoughts . . .

 warm, dreamy days, drifting on a northern Minnesota lake in a canoe. One hand trailing in the water, the other gripping your favorite beer while kids laugh and play together on the beach. Sun dappled trees lean in close to the water and. . . 

Wake Up! That’s not what I meant by great thoughts, I meant thoughts like this . . .

Things I Think I’ve Been Thinking Lately.

Protest songs. 

How come we don’t have good protest songs anymore? I mean, we had a ton of great songs in the 60’s about the war in Vietnam: Four Dead in Ohio, Fortunate Son, War, Fixin’ to Die Rag, Unknown Soldier. 

I freely admit that's not really fair. Bruce Springsteen recently put out a great protest song, Streets of Minneapolis. Not Four Dead in Ohio good but good. And a few other songs are popping up so that's positive. The larger question though, is where were those songs during our 20 years' war in the Middle East? We should have been flooded with great protest songs! I mean we babyboomers basically invented protest songs (then, of course, turned into our mousey parents.) Are the next generations so content with their lives that they can't express indignation at the crap we have been living with for years? I don't believe it - but something is going on.*

If you have a theory about why this fine American tradition is MIA I’d like to hear it. 

* It is also possible that due to my mouseyness I haven't paid attention since the 70's)

Are Americans too Dumb for Democracy? 

I know, not a fair comment but one sometimes wonders. The science-fiction writer, Isaac Asimov, once wrote: “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’”

Spoken like a true intellectual - but it is hard to disagree when you look at the last several years. This is not a right or left thing, there's plenty of stupid to go around. 

Obviously, many smart people can and do just as much damage as the dumb people they mock. Yet in the end, who would you rather have running things in the country? 

               This guy?

Science Experiment?. . .

         

 

                                                                                or 

As if you need more incitement, here's a quote attributed, falsely as it turns out, to Winston Churchill but something I bet has occurred to you a few times too: “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”

Luckily neither you nor I are average, right? RIGHT?!

Something I Thought About (but Wished I Hadn't)

Do you know who this guy is? You don't? Loser! This is Jim Donaldson - aka Mr. Beast. He is a social media influencer. Not just any influencer but one with 484 MILLION YouTube subscribers, the most in the world. And what do influencers do? Well, they influence people to buy crap, of course. They live perfect, beautiful lives with the perfect, beautiful products that they are hawking. You are certain to live that life too if you just buy those products. 

Now here's an idea . . .

(I'm kind of in a different mood and there’s a special reason as you will see at the end.)

Some Positive Thoughts . . .

I'm Thinking I'm Really Proud of Minnesotans and Americans in General. 

I am proud of the fact that Minnesotan’s are responding so powerfully to this cowardly and unnecessarily brutal invasion of our city and state. (I got your Minnesota Nice right here!) Did you see that crowd in downtown MPLS on Jan 23rd? 50,000+ people - including my daughter and her husband - on the coldest day of the year. Three shot and two murdered and we are still hanging in there - and the whole world is watching.

Make no mistake, if deporting “the worst of the worst" illegals was the goal most of us wouldn’t complain (Except perhaps a few goofs.) That, however, was strictly a "marketing ploy," just plain BS: around 5% of the thousands detained so far are hardened criminals and 75% have no, or very minor, criminal  records at all.  

Liam Ramos   5 Yr old criminal
He's back in MN - but not for long

Minnesota Anthem

Appropriately, song written by a Swede

It was a lie and an excuse to legitimize inciting fear and punishment through their tactics. I suspect - and hope - that not even those who support throwing out all the immigrants are okay with these tactics.

On a positive note, we did the rest of our blue state brethren a favor in couple ways: When they "surged" more thugs into our state they had to come from somewhere -  almost certainly blue states. Also, our sacrifice, including blood, stirred resistance in many other cities.

Sadly two of us paid the ultimate price . . .

I survived ICE AND January

Geez, even a few Republican politicians have apparently been reminded that they might actually have a manhood-like "anatomy" and are beginning to act like it. (Of course, not our  MN Republicans. History will not be kind to those gutless wonders.)

Anyway, makes a person think there might actually be hope. We may be stuck with them for now but like winter it won’t last forever. (okay, brave talk but let's hope so.)

(More on immigration in general in next post - I think.)

More Thinking About Hope  

People talk about Karma all the time. Mostly it's a great way to think about other people getting what they deserve . . . usually something bad. I am not a religious person but as I've climbed (descended?) the ladder of life and getting close to the last rung I have come to consider this in a somewhat different and more serious personal manner. 

50+ years ago I spent a lot of time in Thailand (another war to make the world safe for democracy.) While there I became enamored with both the people and their version of Buddhism. It isn't really a religion but like one, it has many aspects and instructions. So like a true American, I embraced the easiest part to grasp, Karma. 

Lately I've been thinking there might be something to it. Or, perhaps like most "spiritual" things, HOPING there's something to it? (And yes, it would have been smarter to take this more seriously earlier in life but no sense crying over spilled vodka.)

Cliffs Notes on Buddhism: The entire point is to reach personal enlightenment through self-empowerment and "proper actions" (sorta sounds like Stoicism mixed with every moral code or religion in history, right?)  In Buddhism every action has an effect and every effect has consequences to yourself and others which build up over your life - and Karma is the scale that's keeping score. (I said Cliffs Notes, obviously this doesn't do justice to the elegance of the whole philosophy.) 

I'm a simple man so to me that just means try hard not to be a dink and you will generally get a good score (and if you're really good, enlightenment.) 👍If not . . . well, it will be 👎 for you, buddy.

Main point: Shamelessly, I am really hoping that Karma works properly for all those people causing so much pain and suffering in our country today. Big👎

Conversely, for me I'm hoping it only focuses on the decent things I've done - assuming it can find any.

 

Oh yeah. There's a reincarnation thing involved too although I'm not so sure about that. If it is real though I hope those folks come back as rats! (I, of course, will obviously come back sort of like a George Clooney clone.) 

Whew, well that's it for things I think I think so I think I will leave you with this:

When you're not shivering, try to think great thoughts, winter - and the other ICE - will be over before you know it.

But before you go . . .

A special eulogy for my and Mrs Dear Leader's  beautiful girl: 

         

                                                        Dear Prudence

                                                4/12/2013- 1/22/2026

I cannot express it any better than this . . .

      

 

 

Maggie's Song     Chris Stapleton